Germany & Austria Issued al-Qaeda Video Threat

The Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF), a well-known Jihadist media collective based in Austria, posted a 4-minute video on the Internet Tuesday demanding that German and Austrian troops withdraw from Afghanistan and also calls for the release of two GIMF suspects arrested in Vienna earlier this year.

The video, "A Call to the German and Austrian Governments," features stock news photos and terrorism-related video clips on top of moving background textures and special effects produced with Adobe After Effects. The logo of the "Caliphate Voice Channel," GIMF's network of multimedia Web sites, appears in the top right corner.

A male voice, digitally altered to disguise his identity, reads the communique in accented German. He begins by stating that the "hundreds of billions of dollars and Euros, which the crusaders and enemies of Islam in America, Europe and especially Germany have invested" in the fight against al-Qaeda have only hardened GIMF's resolve, and proceeds to moderate Islamic groups and organizations that "poison ones mind and destroy Islam from within so that the crusaders won’t even have to pull arms."

He then calls for Germany and Austria to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and warns of an upcoming Taliban Winter offensive. "The mujahadeen has spared you up until now," he warns the Austrian government. "(T)hat’s why your number of dead soldiers is not very high but this will change soon." He then concludes with a warning that if the "brothers and sisters who were arrested in Vienna" are not released that the Austrians will regret ever having Muslims in their prisons.

GIMF is widely considered to be the media arm of al-Qaeda's European network and, based on its frequent outreach to the German and Austrian media, is suspected to be centered currently in Austria. It appeared on the Internet in 2002 and was one of the major early distributors for al-Qaeda messaging products. It expanded into English-language content between 2003 and 2004, and then expanded heavily into the French and German languages in 2006.

Long known for its bravado, the group has often posted recruitment advertisements on well-known Jihadi message boards for volunteers. The GIMF has even described its mission as the "Al-Qaeda University of Jihad Studies." Indeed, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official, GIMF served as recruitment and training ground for al-Qaeda's corps of media specialists. With the right skills, proven loyalty and operational security, GIMF experience could open doors to paid frontline assignments in Iraq with al-Furqan Media and in Afghanistan and Pakistan with as-Sahab Media. GIMF video products, including this latest release, however, are typically of poorer quality than videos produced by al-Furqan and as-Sahab.

The group has posted a wide variety of materials, including videos for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a Flash-based combat video game called "The Night of Bush Capturing," e-Books and mujahideen magazines, hacking and encryption software, and a long commentary about a fictitious American al-Qaeda operative named "Rakan Ben Williams." It produced a weekly news vodcast called "Voice of the Caliphate" that ultimately morphed into a redundant network of Jihadist video archive sites called the "Caliphate Voice Channel." In August 2006, the group also posted the hostage videos of Fox News journalists Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig, who were captured in Gaza, raising fears of al-Qaeda involvement in the kidnapping.

In September, two suspected members of GIMF were arrested in Austria during investigations of a March 2007 GIMF video that threatened the government of Germany and Austria. The release of these two individuals is one of the group's demands in this latest video.

Six years have passed since the blessed operations against the heart of the crusaders and their allies and the Ummah of Muslims has since that time steadily gained strength.

Countless siblings have found back to their religion with the permission of Allah and so many people have recognized the correct way and converted from Jahliyah and the unbeliever (Kufr) to Islam and all the praise belongs to Allah.

Despite of the many hundreds of billions of dollars and Euros, which the crusaders and enemies of Islam in America, Europe and especially Germany have invested against Islam, the brothers have not moved one millimeter from it, the opposite:

The openly called crusade against Islam and against Muslims, which where called by Bush and acknowledged by European and German Allies, has only strengthened true Muslims and their call to duty and they were able to spot the pretenders of the nation... who prefer to suck up and subdue instead of Jihad.

They call to convert to the religion of democracy by participating in elections or by accepting or following man-made laws. And the majority shows obedience in that thing and falls in the Shirk and Kufr. Oh Muslims in Germany [uknown term] renunciation from Islam, which connects the invitation to Islam (Dawa) to the Kufr (unbeliever). From many self-proclaimed and from government funded academics and associations whose goal it is to poison ones mind and destroy Islam from within, so that the crusaders won’t even have to pull arms. The so-called academics and friends of the Jews and Christians, which Allah warned us of, that those non-believers are only amongst friends and guardians.

They try to tell the nation that you have to profess to Democracy and they call for elections to create advantages for Muslims, whereas every Muslim should know that nothing good for the nation can come out of it if you affiliate it with Allah. [What] they call for, named Democracy, is really a less than 100 year old atheist figment and it means the reign of Allah [is] lowered by the people, even though a Muslim knows that only Allah alone is accepted as ruler and judge.

The next subject we want to discuss is the participation of Germany in the crusade against Muslims. German solders are still occupying Afghanistan and we are going to repeat the appeal from the last video that Germany should remove their troops from Afghanistan, which will serve to your own security in your country.

The same applies to Austria. The mujahadeen has spared you up until now, that’s why your number of dead soldiers is not very high, but this will change soon because the Taliban has announced a Winter Offensive and this Offensive extends to the north.

In conclusion we are addressing words to the Austrian government: We call upon you to release the brothers and sisters who were arrested in Vienna, otherwise you will regret it, that you dared locking up Muslims in your prisons!